Radio Removal Procedure 2001-2005 Goldwing

GL1800 Radio Removal Instructions

This procedure can be a bit daunting if it is the first time you are removing your shelter. It isn't hard by any means. But there are a lot of screws to remove, and a fair number of parts. I can remove the top shelter in 30 minutes. But I have done it many times. First time, you can expect a couple of hours. Take your time and enjoy working on your bike and learning it. This isn't a race. You aren't on the clock. In the picture below, you can see all the parts that need to be removed are on the cart, except for the seat and top shelter.

The key to avoiding frustration and anxiety over this is to take a few minutes to plan and prepare your work area before starting. Forgetting this step will ensure that you will either lose screws, not put them back in the proper place, or damage plastic body parts when you step on them or kick them. I use a small multi-shelf Rubbermaid cart for small parts, and use plastic trays or old margarine cups to hold hardware. I also keep some old towels handy for covering painted panels when I have to rest something against them. As you will see later, it is also handy to have a large waist high cart or workbench to lay the shelter on while removing the radio. You can use the living room floor and a blanket too!

Rubbermaid cart used for keeping all the small parts organized.

Let's Get Started

Step 1. Remove the Seat

Remove the 4 grab bar bolts, open the trunk, and grab the back of the seat from under the trunk lid. Lift up on the back of the seat and pull it backwards so that the seat clears the front hook.

Step 2. Remove the Speaker grilles

The grills are hooked in at the top, and snapped in at the bottom. There are two small slots big enough to slip a screwdriver into. Use a standard size screwdriver with about a 1/4" blade. Push the screwdriver in as far as it will go, about 3/16". What you are trying to do here is push the hooks up with the screwdriver. Carefully push down on the handle while you get your fingers underneath the grille, and try to pull the grille out. If it doesn't pop, you may have to push the screwdriver in further or push down a little harder. You can also twist the screwdriver slightly as you are pushing down, but this has a tendency to dimply the meter panel plastic. The dimples will not be easily visible however. It is very difficult to do this without leaving some kind of mark. Alternate between the two slots until you find the one that pops first.

Step 3. Remove the meter panel.

The meter panel is fairly straight forward, with the only difficulty being the removal of the connector for the 3 switches below the LCD display. There is one hex head bolt and one plastic push pin on each side of the meter panel. Remove them. In front of the ignition switch, the panel is held in by two pins in a rubber grommet, similar to your chrome side engine covers. Just lift up on the front of the meter panel until it pops out. You will only be able to lift the panel a few inches, just enough to get your hands under it to get to the connector.

Removing the panel connector

This picture is a view looking under the panel from the right side of the bike. Lift the rear part of the panel high enough to see the connector.

There is a locking tab on the front side of the connector that has to be released to remove the connector. Use a smaller screwdriver like a Craftsman 1/8" blade driver. A long shank driver helps here. As the picture indicates slip the screwdriver between the connector and tab and push the tab outwards. Once you do that, you should be able to pull the connector out.

Picture with the connector unplugged.

Note that the connector you are removing fits inside the fixed end of the other connector. There is only a small exposed part of the connector you are removing to grab hold of. It is sometimes necessary to pull on the wires as well. The wires are pretty strong and won't break easily. Just don't overdo it. If the connector won't come out, you probably haven't dislodged the locking tab. I highly recommend breaking off the hook on the panel side connector. Trust me. It will never come unplugged on its own.

Step 4. Remove the long thin trim strips along each side of the top shelter.

These are delicate pieces with tabs that snap into place. But they are easy to remove once you learn the trick. Refer to the picture to the left.

The trick is to grab the side of the trim by the tips of your fingers. First, pull towards you until you feel the outer fairing and trim flexing. Then pull up until the tabs on the inside clear the top shelter. From there, the rest is easy. It is usually best to continue working your way up along the inside until all the tabs on that side are clear.

Do the same for the other side, and set the pieces where they won't get damaged.

Step 5. Remove the left pocket

Press the center of the 4 push pins with a screwdriver. Remove the pocket and disconnect the Aux cable connector. On a stock bike, the right pocket does not have to be removed. But if you have heated grips or other accessories mounted in the right panel, you may have to remove those two pieces.

Step 6 Top shelter removal. Remove the following:

Remove

4 hex head bolts on each side that are located under the trim piece you just removed.

Remove

1 hex head bolt below the front speakers. (1 on each side)

Remove

1 nut on each side at the rear of the top shelter.

Remove

2 Philips screws on top near the ignition switch.

Remove the Headlight Adjuster Panel

At this point the top shelter should be loose. Disengage the windshield clamps. (up position). Grab the top shelter at the back where the seat goes and pull each side outward to clear the threaded posts. Raise up the back of the top shelter.

You can now wiggle the top shelter towards the back of the bike a few inches.

Before you go any further, you can now remove the headlight adjust panel on the left side by slipping a screwdriver in the notch and popping it up. This can sometimes be done by hand. Pull up on the top shelter that is now loose and tuck the switch panel under the top shelter. I save this step until right before I pull the shelter so that I don't have to rest the switch panel on the painted top shelter.

The Top Shelter is ALMOST ready to be removed.

There is one last step. Raise the back of the top shelter enough to reach your arm up under it. Disconnect the antenna from the back of the radio and disconnect the two 34 pin connectors from the radio. Refer to the pictures below for help with releasing the tabs.

Once the radio is disconnected, you can lift the top shelter off the bike.

Removing the Radio From the Top Shelter

The Top Shelter is actually 2 pieces, and it has to be separated, because the radio is sandwiched in between them.

Put a blanket or towels on your work surface and lay the top shelter on it upside down. Remove all 12 screws that hold the two pieces of the shelter together. Once the two pieces are separated, the radio will just fall out.

That's it. You are done! See below for tips on reinstallation.

Remove 5 screws on each side. No power tools. This is very soft plastic with short screws.

Remove the two machine screws from the back of the radio. You do not have to remove the bracket before shipping the radio.

Re-Assembly Tips

Additional Information

Installing the radio
When re-installing the radio in the fairing. The ears on the sides of the radio fit in between the two fairing pieces. It can be a little clumsy aligning all 3 pieces. Try a few different ways of holding the pieces together.

One word of warning. Do not flex these pieces too much, especially when only a few screws are mounted, and use only a #2 hand screwdriver. No power drivers. The black vinyl threaded posts are very soft plastic. Only tighten the screws tight enough to make them snug, especially the outer ones near the pockets. Remember that the smaller screws go where the pockets are.

Radio connectors.
You should here an audible snap when both connectors are fully seated.

Antenna Cable
I wish I had a dollar for every report I have read about this one being forgotten. The cable tends to fall down alongside the tank, making it easy to forget.

Remove the vent louvers from the fairing.
Just depress the tabs and pop them out from behind. The louvers have a habit of not wanting to line up correctly, and that is NOT what you need when you are trying to position the fairing in place. Reinstall the louvers as the last step in the assembly, after the fairing is completely bolted down.

Watch out for the right hand pocket cable.
If you removed your right hand pocket, make sure the cable is attached before mounting the fairing down. In fact, check it even if you didn't remove the pocket. If the cable is not connected, you won't be able to open the pocket.

Locate the radio mounting ear in between the top shelter halves.

Installing the Fairing

The Fairing is pretty durable once it is all together, and can handle a little bit of flexing. Often it is necessary to wiggle it around a little bit to get it to fall into place. As you move it forward, pay attention to the 4 front mounting holes. And carefully observe the rubber cover for the windshield levers to make sure the fairing tucks under them.

Fairing Bolts
The bolts on the left and right sides of the fairing are different sizes, and they must go back in the right spot. The picture at the left is a reminder in case you got them mixed up.

You will have to spread the back portion of the fairing to get it over the posts where the 10mm nuts go. Those posts have shoulders on them. Make sure the fairing goes completely over those shoulders before installing the nuts. If you don't, you could crack the fairing at the holes.

Installing the Meter Panel.
Don't forget to plug in the cable for the switches below the display. It is easy to forget.

Reinstalling the speaker grills.
Hook the top of the grill into place. You can try just pushing the bottom of the grill in place. But I like to give it a good smack at the very bottom of the grill with the palm of my hand, because I want to hear the tabs snap into place. WARNING! Do not hit the center of the grill. It is too weak there, and you could break it. Pull out on the grill with your fingers to see if you can remove it. If you can, the snaps didn't catch. A lot of people have lost speaker grills because they were not installed correctly.

Adjustments
You are done! The first thing you are going to want to do is check out the sound of your new stereo. But before you do that, take a minute and reset your radio settings. Turn your ignition to the accessory position, power up the radio, and adjust the following settings to your personal preference.

Set your bass and treble to your preferred settings. (Accessed by depressing the right hand knob.)

Turn on the AMB (Ambience) function if you use it. (Accessed by depressing the right hand knob.)

Set the Auto Volume to High. (depress left hand button.) Note that there are 2 separate Auto Volume adjustments, one for headset, and one for external speakers. Make sure the radio is in external speaker mode to adjust Auto Volume for the external speakers.

The bolts on the side of the top shelter are different sizes. Use this as a guide.